


Curiosity Killed The Cat

by Ilkwrdthngsdntjudge



Category: Rick and Morty (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I’m gonna add more tags as I go along, MALE READER INSERT, Mentions of DBH, Multi, Reader Insert, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, depressed reader, mentions of drug use, neko reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:15:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilkwrdthngsdntjudge/pseuds/Ilkwrdthngsdntjudge
Summary: What would happen if someone from the “Real World” travelled to Rick and Morty..?ORYou’re transferred into a body of a bodyguard/bounty hunter into the confusing world of Rick and Morty! Having completely different sets of memories is confusing, and you almost forget about how dangerous Rick is, even forgetting about Morty.How are you supposed to survive?
Relationships: Morty Smith/Reader - Relationship, Rick Sanchez/Reader - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63
Collections: What would happen if someone from the “Real World” travelled to this universe..?





	1. Chapter 1

Creating an avatar is simple. The worst you could do was spend hours on creating it, spend money on outfits and be annoyed that it doesn’t quite look like how you wanted it.

Creating a new identity was _way_ harder. You had to have a couple hundred thousand “credits” and a spaceship. Good thing he had both of those things, right?

He honestly had no idea how he got here. One second he was about to watch a show on Netflix, next second he was surrounded by a green haze and _boom!_ he was in a spaceship, cleaning guns.

The weird thing was, he remembered his life before this. He was in high school and he was a normal kid. A bit on the less popular side, but then again, so was everyone, right? The other weird thing was that he _knew_ how “this” life worked. He was a bounty hunter, and he knew how to shoot multiple things. He had a bow, a sniper, and a bunch of cool-looking knives.

He was also a freaking furry. And his name was Nekoshin. Fucking original. But he grew attached to it, and he began responding to the name. 

On the bright side, his new body was (hot) sick! Yeah, he had cat ears and a tail, but he was also agile. He could land on his feet, and he had this cool thing in his eye that automatically aims for him. And apparently, he didn’t age! Pretty sick, but it reminded him of a very important and sobering fact.

He wasn’t Y/n anymore. He was Nekoshin now.

He figured out where he was after two years of living in this universe. He was in the show _Rick and Morty_. He had found a poster with the words “wanted” and “reward” and “dead or alive” on it. A typical bounty poster. And as a bounty hunter, he was attracted to these kinds of things.

He didn’t expect “Rick Sanchez” to be on it too.

“Aw, fuck. Dammit, I’m screwed...”

He knew Rick, even if it was just watching him from a screen. Ruthless, genius, and a fucking lunatic. At least the Rick he knew cared for Morty. God, he hoped he was in with C-137 Rick and Morty. They were chiller than most. They were also called the rouges and were wanted by the Galactic Federation but...

It was a good thing he did his research on shows he found interesting.

With his ship, he time-travelled back to when Rick was younger, when Beth wasn’t born yet and he was just starting to go on adventures around the galaxy.

_“God dammit, this stupid fucking flower... Neko! Help me up!”_

_“I’m busy, old man! I’m covering you, remember?!”_

He had befriended Rick, gone on a couple of adventure with him and _definitely_ messed up the whole C-137 timeline, but who gave two shits? Rick would probably forget about him in a while.

_“Neko! You bitch! Stay with me, bud!”_

_“God! Fuck, Rick, help!”_

Okay, so he messed up a couple of times. What, with his reckless attitude and Rick’s trouble magnet there was bound to be a couple of gruesome adventures that they had.

_“Don’t you fucking dare do that again, you hear me?! You’re not gonna fucking die on my watch.”_

_“I had to, Rick. You’ve gotta live on...”_

He was there when Rick met Diane. He was wearing a beanie with his tail around his waist, talking to Rick when Rick glanced over his shoulder and gaped, his head subtly following someone. He had turned around to see a young blonde woman.

_“Ooh. Rick’s got a crush~”_

_“Shut the fuck up, Neko. You don’t have a fucking say in this matter.”_

He was there when Beth was born. Cute thing. He knows she wouldn’t remember him in the slightest, but in was nice being a kind-of uncle sometimes.

_“Hey, Beth. Hey Diane. Look who’s here with me...”_

_“Diane! Beth! How’re my two favourite girls in the galaxy doin’?”_

_“Uncle Neko!”_

He was there when they when Diane took a turn for the worse. When Rick had to take Beth away from her mother. He couldn’t lie, that was one of the saddest moments of his life. As well as the most painful.

_“I can’t let you do that, Diane. You’re hurting them both.”_

_“You can’t fucking stop me, freak!”_

_“Diane! No! STOP!”_

He had stayed with Rick for a while to heal, then he went off to continue with his adventures, occasionally bringing Rick and Beth souvenirs and materials for Rick’s experiments. But Rick took a turn for the worse, getting drunk almost every night and verbally beating him down.

He said good bye and left when Beth turned ten. She wouldn’t remember him. Neither would Rick. He knew Rick was going through a hard time, but at least he wasn’t hurting Beth. That was good enough. He couldn’t take the hurt.

He time-travelled back to the present, the whole ordeal caught up with him and he collapsed in his seat, tears escaping his eyes. He also had the bad habit of drinking a full bottle of whatever alcohol he had. And he just so happened to have a bottle of Everclear.

He woke up the next morning with a half-empty bottle of Everclear and sore wrists. Even after he promised to stop, he was still doing it.

Sure, he was Nekoshin now, but he still looked and felt like Y/n.

Like the Y/n that had depression and anxiety from high school. Like the Y/n that had the same unhealthy coping mechanisms. The same Y/n that shut down and didn’t talk to anyone other than to say yes and no or sorry and thank you.

Right now, he didn’t even _want_ the stupid bounty. Maybe Rick had changed? He sure hoped so, because he was planning to visit. By his math, it had been twenty four years. Beth was adult. Maybe she had kids?

After a week of trying (and failing) to stay away from blades and alcohol, he decided to try and steal those weird ingredients this guy had asked for. Didn’t work out too well. He was shot in the abdomen and his lung was on the verge of collapsing because of a large piece of metal that was embedded in his chest, which he took out and immediately regretted.

He was captured and tortured for information, like who his informant was and who he worked for and why he wanted those particular ingredients. Good thing he was trained not to talk. So now, he had a major fear of needles and sudden movements.

Nekoshin grew a pair of balls and flew to Earth’s coordinates. He wore his beanie, a pair of jeans and a (f/c) camouflage sweater. His (h/l) hair stuck up at the front of the beanie, but it went around his ears, covering them effectively.

He landed his ship in a nearby forest and packed a bag, deciding to walk to where Beth was living. With his luck (hopefully) Rick wouldn’t be there. Hopefully, Rick had run away like Diane did.

And with his luck, Rick was home.

A teenage girl with strawberry blonde hair opened the door, texting on her phone.

“Uh, hey. Um... _*gulp*_ is there a Beth Sanchez here? If there’s not, it’s fine-“

“Who’re you?”

Oh. Wow. Heh, blunt.

“I’m an old... friend of Beth’s. It’s okay, I’ll just go-“

“I didn’t say there wasn’t a Beth in here. Hey, mom!”

She turned away from the door, continuing to text the person on her phone, completely ignoring him until another woman peeked out from inside.

She was blonde and looked a lot like Diane. So much so that Nekoshin staggered back a few steps. She gave him a nervous smile.

“Hello. Are you okay? Summer, who-“

“He says he’s an old friend of yours, mom. Not my problem.”

Then Summer, the strawberry blonde kid, walked off. The woman gave him a confused stare.

“Old friend? I’m sorry, maybe you have to wrong Beth...”

She was slowly closing the door and Nekoshin snapped out of his stupor and lurched forwards, desperation on his features.

“Wait! I know Rick!”

With that, the door opens again and Nekoshin heaves a sigh of relief. It quickly turns into a gasp of shock when Beth snarls at him and grabs his nearest arm, pulling him inside and throwing him on the floor.

His wounds were jostled and he wheezed in pain, covering it up by feigning shock.

“Who are you, and what do you want with my dad?”

Ah. So this _was_ Beth. Nekoshin assumed she was married, and therefore not Beth _Sanchez_ anymore. 

“Answer me, bitch!”

She yelled, and he was brought back to the times when Rick would use that same tone of voice, belittling him with well-aimed insults.

“I don’t want anything with your dad. I just know him. I’m an old friend of his.”

Of course Beth wouldn’t remember him. He was barely there. He assumed Rick wasn’t a constant figure either. But still, the fact that Beth didn’t remember him hurt. A lot.

At that moment, a loud crash from the front lawn broke through the tension of the room. The two of them looked out the window by the room and Nekoshin gaped as Rick (a much, much older Rick) emerged from a spaceship with a young boy with brown hair and wearing a yellow shirt.

They were both celebrating, carrying sacks of brown wilted leaves that Nekoshin assumed was either alien weed or Hethomuglin, an important ingredient for most instant-healing salves.

So the two of them were out on an adventure? He had to admit, that hurt, too. A lot.

Ah, his balls were shrinking. Definitely fucking gone, as soon as he saw Rick and the kid making their way to the front door. He rose to a stand, utilising one of his few talents. 

With quick and precise movements, he rushed towards the front door, breezing past a bewildered Rick. Nekoshin glanced to the side when he ran past Rick, watching as a familiar glow of anger shone in his eyes. Nekoshin didn’t stick around to find out what kind of punishment Rick had made out for him.

He bolted for his ship, hissing when his wounds were aggravated. A trickle of hot liquid ran out of the corner of his mouth and he choked on it, making him cough violently.

But he continued to run. Even though he knew that Rick would definitely catch up to him, one way or another.

Speak of the devil. A green portal appeared infront of him and a blur of white and blue tackled him onto the sidewalk. He snarled in pain and bounced back up, twisting away and jumping up, ducking at the predictable right hook Rick tried to thrown at him. He countered with a leg-sweep, knocking Rick backwards. He didn’t bother to try and keep fighting; Rick was a strong asshole.

The best he could do was run back to the safety of his ship. He didn’t expect Rick to actually _shoot_ him though. And _God_ did it hurt. He let out a strangled cry when the searing-hot laser burst through his kneecap. He was thrown forward, but he turned so he landed on his back.

He didn’t want to hurt Rick, or his family. In fact, the opposite. He wanted to see how Beth was doing, maybe say all the things he’s wanted to say before. Then he would off himself. Simple. Easy. Rick wasn’t even supposed to be here.

But he was, and Nekoshin panted in apprehensive pain as Rick pocketed his gun and approached him. No glimmer of recognition in his eyes. Nothing. Was he really that forgettable?

“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing here?”

Nekoshin shook his head. God, he was so stupid! Even high-school him could’ve fixed this! God, he wanted to go back-

“I _said,_ who are you. And what are you doing here.”

Not a question anymore. A demand.

“I-I’m not an-anyone important. J-just came by to see how Beth was doing. I knew her from a while back. She doesn’t recognise me...”

Rick just narrowed his eyes, and that honestly made Nekoshin grin slightly. Of course, Rick knew a lie when he heard one.

“Don’t li-iuURrgh-lie, dipshit. Beth told me you knew me. So? Who the fuck are you?”

Rick took out his gun, pointing it point-blank at Nekoshin’s face. Nekoshin just sighed shakily, not noticing the blood pooling around him, not noticing Rick’s slightly curious (concerned) expression.

“I’m no-one, Rick. Just- just a fucking glitch in the matrix. Don’t even worry about it.”

Nekoshin had told Young-Rick those same words many times, always laughing at the loud denials he got, as well as the heart-warming words of encouragement.

But that was before Rick’s life had gone to shit. Before he began to agree with Nekoshin’s words and began to add to the belittling list.

A spark of recognition that began in Rick’s eyes flooded across his face, and he gasped in realisation, hurriedly tucking his gun away and falling to his knees beside Nekoshin.

“Holy shit! Neko! You dickbag, why didn’t you start with that?!”

With surprising strength, Rick hooked his arms under Nekoshin’s chest and legs, hoisting him up with a grunt. Nekoshin could hardly keep his eyes open, he was sure his lung was past repair and he felt like he was on fire. At least Rick wasn’t trying to kill him anymore.

He was _just_ able to get a glance at Beth’s horrified expression before a wall separated them and his vision went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So who’s the new hottie?”
> 
> “.... his boyfriend.”

It wasn’t bright. It wasn’t dark, either. It was shady, for lack of a better term.

He was on something soft. A bed? He was warm, and that’s what mattered. He sighed groggily, shuffling in the blankets.

There were people talking in another room. The voices were muffled and there was the oddly calming ‘clank’ of metal on metal as a comforting smell wafted through the air. God, he was hungry.

He heard steps -he was so out of it today- and he felt whatever he was lying on sink slightly. Someone sat down next to his head. He heard a familiar voice. Was it Rick-?

He got his answer when long fingers carefully rubbed the skin behind his ears. He almost began to purr, but he stopped himself, a sharp pain in his lungs flaring up.

What happened?

His instincts kicked in and he snapped up, blindly punching whoever was touching him and jumping up from where he was laying, landing in a crouched position. The pain in his lungs and his abdomen reared its ugly head, leaving him panting in exertion from that one movement.

_What happened?_

“Oh God! Fuck! Neko, you son of a bitch, that _hurts!_ Fuckin’ hell! What the shit!”

He gapes in surprise at the sight of Rick pinching the bridge of his bleeding nose, glaring at him and sputtering curses. Oh, shit. He just _punched_ Rick Sanchez-

“Ri-“

His voice cracked, making him sound young, which he was. He was only fourteen when he was transferred to this world. He was probably only twenty-eight now, since he’s spent two years in the present and twelve years in the past. But his body was permanently eighteen..

“Rick. I- I’m sorry, I-“

He swallowed, eyes wrenching around the room.

He was on a a blue couch. The room he was in was next to the room where the front door was. His duffel bag was on the ground next to the couch, and he felt the usual rush of adrenaline as he snatched for his bag and bolted for the front door.

“Nope!”

Rick grabbed ahold of his arm, tugging him back on the couch without much effort. Nekoshin’s heart froze. How weak was he? How weak did he have to be to be unable to get away from such a gentle tug? Rick just sighed at his forlorn expression and poked a particular sore spot on his chest. Nekoshin hissed in pain, jerking away, his ears pinned to the back of his head.

Wait.

He gasped in fear, his fingers skimming over his messy (h/c) hair. Oh god. Where was his beanie?

He snapped out of his panic when a familiar blob of cloth hung infront of his eyes. Rick was holding onto his beanie, his smirk irritatingly smug.

“You lookin’ for this, Neko? I can’t believe you still have this piece of shit.”

There they were. The harsh words. Tears prick at Nekoshin’s eyes but he held them back, snatching the worn beanie from Rick’s grasp. Believe it or not, the beanie was from Rick. A long time ago, when Blips and Chitz was still new, he and Rick made a bet. Of course, Rick won, but he spent all his credits from the games he won on the soft (f/c) beanie that he saw Nekoshin eyeing.

Nekoshin was snapped out of his thoughts when Rick poked his abdomen. He hissed in anger, drawing away, feeling his hair rise and his ears lower under his beanie.

Rick just laughed.

“You c-c-can’t go, dipshit. Your injuries a-are healing, a-a-and I can’t pro-ooUUGH-cess those-se Hethomuglin leaves yet. Th-they need to dry more. A week should do it. Say,”

Nekoshin shrank into the couch when Rick’s eyes took on an inquisitive glare, burning a hole into his own.

“Why do y-you have those injuries? I found traces of c-cyanoidore on your chest, there. Y-you’re lucky you’re alive.”

Oh, how Nekoshin wanted to say no, he wasn’t. Instead, he just sighed shakily, hugging himself and rubbing his eyes. God he was so tired. He failed to notice a flare of concern light up in Rick’s eyes.

“I- I’m sorry. I-I-I’ll get outta your hair, uh. Y-you ca- I need to go.”

Rick frowned when Nekoshin trembled, pulling him onto the couch again when he tried to leave. Why was Nekoshin like this? First, he was not a year over however old he was twenty-four years ago. Second, he looked skinnier, paler, and just generally unhealthy looking. Rick tried to voice his concern.

“You l-look more like crap than u-u-usual, Neko. Wh-aaURG-what happened? This related to your injur-injuries?”

His frown deepened when Nekoshin flinched. He watched carefully as Nekoshin sighed, running a hand through this hair before tugging on the beanie. He began to fiddle with the bandages that always used to be on his arms. Rick remembered that about his old friend.

“No. I jus- I just wanted to say goodb- stop by. I just wanted to stop by.”

Rick wasn’t stupid. But he wasn’t caring either. (at least, that’s what he _tried_ to tell himself-)

“Quit l-l-lying to me. First, it’s b-eeURRGH-een twenty four years- why do you look s-s-so y-young? Second, you d-d-didn’t answer my q-question.”

Nekoshin sighed once more (Rick tried to ignore the whimper-) and he rubbed his arm, drawing Rick’s attention. Huh. Those bandages were always-

“The injuries were from a failed heist. Uh, it- I don’t- I can’t answer the first q-question. I don’t know why...”

Rick scowled, grabbing Nekoshin’s arm harshly. He hesitated when he heard a whimpered hiss from his once brash friend. He quickly let go, internally cringing as Neko rubbed his arm with a pout. He made a grab for his hand again, though more carefully, watching carefully as Neko’s face took on a blank, guarded expression.

“Rick. What’re you doing?”

“I’m g-gonna take a s-sample of you-OUrrRGH-your blood, Neko. W-we need to s-see why you’re still s-so young, Neko.”

He winced when Neko flinched at the sight of the needle. Since when did _Neko_ , the most badass bodyguard out there, _flinch?_

“Y-y-you good, Neko? Scared of a l-little nee-eeEAURGH-dle- needle, Neko? Ha, wh-what happened, ca-cat got you-your tongue-tongue?”

He had to admit, he felt _slightly_ guilty when Neko didn’t respond. Key word, slightly.

“Hey, Rick! I-i-is the guy up ye-yet?”

The two of them turn to find Morty ambling out of the kitchen, giving Neko a kind smile. Summer followed Morty out of the kitchen, texting on her phone until she saw that Nekoshin was awake. Rick scoffed when he saw her blushing slightly.

“O-oh! Hey! G- I’m M-Morty, this is my s-sister, Summer.”

Neko yelped when Rick used that chance to plunge the needle into his arm through the bandages, getting a vial full of dark red, tucking it into his lab coat and pulling the needle out. Neko sighed shakily and turned to the two teens, smiling weakly.

“Hi. I’m Neko. Uhm, I used to work with Rick.”

Rick scoffed again, taking a long gulp from his flask.

“ _Used to work with Rick_ \- we were best friends, for _years_ , Neko! We-we totally _destroyed_ that high score on those two-player games at the OG Blips and Chitz! I went wi-with Morty last time- our names are still first place! _Used to work with Rick, my ass-_ “

He stood from the couch, taking another sip from his flask and stumbling into the kitchen, probably going towards the garage.

Morty just scratched his head with a sheepish smile, holding out his hand to shake Neko’s.

“S-Sorry ‘bout Rick, he-he can be an asshole somet-sometimes. Do you want a- do you wanna drink?”

Neko gave Morty and Summer a small smile back, oblivious to Summer’s growing blush.

“Yes, please. Thanks.”

To be honest, Morty was very surprised a guy like Neko -sweet, kind, caring, quiet,- ended up best friends with a guy like Rick, who was, you know, Rick. He led Neko into the kitchen, where Beth and Jerry were. Beth immediately jumped up, wringing her hands and biting her lip nervously.

“Uncle Neko! Nice to see you again...”

There was a slight awkward silence before Neko, to Morty’s surprise, approached Beth slowly and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. He was only slightly taller than her and she curled into his chest, already hiccuping slightly. To say that Morty and Summer were surprised was an understatement.

“What the heck?! Beth, who is this guy?! That’s the second time you cried!”

Leave it to Jerry to ruin the moment.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Neko, you must be..?”

Jerry was stunned for a moment, staring at Neko’s outstretched hand like it was a mouth. He sputtered, drawing a confused smile from Neko and groans of disappointment from everyone else.

“Shake his hand, Jerry!”

“God, dad, it’s common fucking courtesy!”

“Dad! Shake his fucking hand!”

In a hurry, pressured by his family, Jerry dropped his tablet and hurriedly shook Neko’s hand, sputtering apologies and getting the sauce he was eating on Neko’s hand.

Morty, Beth and Summer groaned in annoyance when Neko, nice, wonderful, sweet Neko, just grimaced, smiled and kept shaking Jerry's hand, even awkwardly patting his shoulder.

“Jerry! I’m Jerry! H-how do you know Beth?”

Neko smiled again, shuffling on his feet, wincing when he leaned on his right leg. No one noticed though, so he continued to stand, his vision slightly blurring out. Then again, that had been happening lately because of his _very_ unhealthy habits. So he ignored it.

“I used to visit when with Rick when Beth was small. And Beth, I’m really sorry about leaving. I... I didn’t know Rick wou- I knew he wouldn’t hurt you on purpose.”

Beth let out a teary laugh, hugging Neko’s chest more.

“Why’d ya hafta leave us? Dad got so sad when you left... a-and he alway-“

She stopped suddenly, freezing. Neko swayed, his vision getting worse. He tried to give Beth a comforting pat on the back, but his knees buckled and he fell backwards, slipping out of Beth’s grasp. He didn’t even realise he fell until he was looking up at Rick’s blank face. He huffed out a laugh, grasping at Rick’s arm.

“H-hey! I- hah, I’m fallin’ for you~!”

Rick’s frown deepened, even when Neko was laughing weakly, gasping for breath.

“Dammit, Neko, y-you can’t be standing around like that. Morty! Get that uhh... that shit I used for your legs! Remember? Th-that shot I used to heal your fucked-up legs like, four years ago!”

”O-oh! Yeah, I’ll grab it!”

”Who is he, and why is he so nice?!”

”Jerry, he’s a long-lost-fucking-uncle!”

”I’d hit that.”

”Summer, shut the fuck up. It’s disturbing that you’d hit on a man as old as your grandpa.”

”Grandpa Rick, ew.”

* * *

“Do I have to? I mean, I can just... get a job, or just hang out in the garage-“

”Nope. Don’t wanna deal with you today, too much paperwork in getting a job, and we could just say that you’re a transfer student from...”

Rick gave Neko a scrutinising glare, scratching at his chin.

”From Japan. Yeah. Japan. Fits.”

”...okay, I _trusted_ you with vital information and _this_ -!?”

”Neko, we gotta go. Summer’s already in the car. And what kinda vital information?”

Neko just glares at Rick, throwing him the bird before stomping out of the garage and towards the car.

”N-Neko? Still kinda w-waiting on the vital info..?”

He sends Morty a short glare coupled with a huff before he ducked into the car, muttering something under his breath.

”Sorry, wh-what was that?”

”... can speak Japanese.”

”You can speak Japanese?”

”Hmph.”

”...Daijobu?”

“Shut up, Morty, no-one wants to listen to you weeb out.”

”I wasn’t talking to you Summer!”

”...Kanojo bakadesu.”

”Hai.”

* * *

**Quick note: Morty’s 18 in this...**

“Hello class. Sorry for the short notice, but we’ve got a new transfer student from Japan. Now I don’t want the whining, I just learned this today as well.”

What was funny from Morty’s point was that... no-one was whining. Being a bounty hunter for most your life must have its perks. Namely, the good build of an athlete. And the build of an athlete was bound to get the attention of...

”There’s a spare desk next to Jessica and Tracey.”

Yep.

“Hey there, Y/n was it? Well, we’ve got a group project coming up and we were wondering if you’d like to join us..?”

Morty was fully expecting him to say ‘yes, I would _love_ to join you’ but instead-

“Sorry, but I was already gonna work with Morty. Maybe the four of us can team up?”

”Alright, that’s fine.”

”Cheers.”

God, he even _sounded_ hot. Was that a hint of an Australian accent?

“Morty? Scoot over here, I’ll try and explain the formula. Though you’ll have to do the explaining.”

Loud laughter rang from the girls, making Morty smile at Neko’s sheepish grin. He really didn’t know, did he?

Morty could work with this.

* * *

”Finally lunch time. I forgot how gruesome school could be.”

Morty could agree. Everytime he went on an adventure with Rick, he forgot all the troubles of normal life. It was refreshing, even if those worries were replaced by life-or-death situations.

”Hey dipshit. So who’s the new hottie?”

Morty sighed, stuffing his textbooks into his locker with practised ease. Just like Brad to hit on every attractive new kid at the same time as making Morty’s life miserable. He was about to retaliate with the usual ‘leave-me-alone’ before Neko spoke up.

”... his boyfriend. Gotta problem?”

A toned arm wrapped itself around Morty’s shoulders, making him tense up momentarily. Then, to his own surprise, he wrapped his own arm around Neko’s waist, giving Brad a smug smirk.

“You two are dating?”

Morty could hardly laugh at Brad’s incredulous tone.

”How’d a twig like you land a model, huh?”

Morty wilted for a bit, then perked up to the sound of Neko’s growl.

”This _‘twig’_ asked like a normal person. He didn’t go behind his girlfriend’s back to fuck a nerd behind the school.”

The gathering crowd let out an awed _‘ooooohhhh..’_ and Brad snarled, puffing out his chest to stand against Neko. Neko just smirked, gently pushing Morty behind him and calmly cocking his head at the bully.

”You gonna take that, Brad?”

Brad yelled, throwing an uncoordinated punch at Neko’s (well-defined) jaw. Wonder of wonders, hot-new-transfer-guy from Japan blocked it, gently twisting Brad’s arm so he would stumble (and fall) _away_ from Neko and himself.

Dear God, Morty just turned.

Neko smirked down at Brad, wrapping his arm around Morty’s shoulders again.

”We out.”

* * *

“Oh, hey honey, hey un- Neko! Neko. Uh, how was school?”

Morty breezed past his mom, his face void of any emotion.

”It was cool.”

”Yup. It was school.”

”... oh, hah! I get it!”

”Heh, yeah. Uh, Beth, is it okay if I share Morty’s room? It’s alright if I ca-“

”No, no, it’s fine! You two just take care, and don’t stay up too late, okay?”

”Alright-“

”Sure thing, mom!”

Followed by a loud slam from upstairs. Morty slid down the door, tugging on the collar of his shirt to cool his blush down.

God, he had it bad, didn’t he?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Here, catch!”
> 
> “Thanks babe!”
> 
> “... excuse me, BABE?”

“Shit! Duck, Morty, duck!”

Morty squeaked, collapsing to the ground just as a red-hot laser wizzed over his head, making the alien behind him jerk back, obviously dead.

”Holy shit! Headshot!”

”Will you two stop fucking just _standing there_ and help me get this shit into the car!?!”

”Yessir!”

Already in the swing of things, Neko was covering Rick and Morty’s backs, using his large array of projectiles to keep the alien forces under wraps. Though it wasn’t helping that he had to cover them from all angles as Rick tried to pick the lock on his own car.

”I can’t believe a fucking genius like _you_ forgot the keys in the front seat!!”

”And I can’t believe a dipshit like _you_ changed the fucking settings on the face recog! Just ask me next time!”

”Hurry up!”

Morty could hardly do anything but help Neko and shoot at the crowd, but Neko was already doing a pretty good job. Shoot, reload, draw, release. Like clockwork, everytime one of his guns needed reloading or cool down time, he’d begin to use knives he’d pull out of nowhere or a collapsible bow (he had a quiver strapped to his leg) and he would begin dropping aliens left and right. With _knives_.

Morty could understand Summer’s meaning of ‘hit that’.

He could also understand what Rick meant by ‘most badass bodyguard’. But he was extra-mean most of the time.

“Yes! I’m in! Get the fuck in the car!”

Morty cheered, diving into the backseat so Neko could stumble inside. With a loud holler at the aliens that were (still!) trying to wrench the car open, Rick sped away, taking extra care to crash into a few people.

When they were far away from the planet, he turned to Neko with a glint of mischief and malice in his eyes.

“Your still got the skills, Neko. I know where to go next.”

* * *

”It would be fun, he said. It’s a quick adventure, twenty minutes, in and out, he said...”

Morty screeched as another explosion rang through the halls, following his path. He looked down at the weird glowing flower Rick had tossed at him.   
  
“All cause of a stupid flower that gets you high. _All_ this. Just to get high...”

He stumbled into the clearing, grinning as he saw Neko dutifully standing by the parked car. Then his grin faltered when he saw a troop of robots stomp out of another building. Rick had _just_ burst out of the building when the robots surrounded them. Neko had already opened the car door and waved them over.

”Here, catch!”

Morty threw the (surprisingly dense) flower over the robot’s heads and Neko caught it with ease and a grin.

”Thanks babe!”

Rick was busy shooting robots but he froze at that sentence, twisting to stare at Neko, then Morty. Even the robots seemed to ease their attacks.

”Excuse me, _babe?_ ”

Morty just cackled and Neko smirked sheepishly.

* * *

“Babe.”

”It was a joke, Rick.”

” _Babe_.”

” _Yes._ ”

”Y- he’s eighteen for Christ’s sakes!”

”It’s a bloody joke!”

”I’m right here, you know.”

”Not now Morty.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the Citadel.
> 
> But something’s not quite right...

“Psssst! Morty! I need help!”

_“Shut_ up, _Ne-Y/n!_ What do you need help with..?”

“Uhm... _‘Who is the “tragic hero” in Romeo and Juliet?’”_

“Seriously? Romeo. Dude.”

“Well _sorry,_ I haven’t exactly caught up on my ancient English while I assassinated-“

“Mr Smith, Mr L/n! Do you have something to share with us?”

You and Morty both glanced at each other sheepishly and mumbled annoyed apologies.

“No, Miss.”

“Sorry, Miss.”

“Good. Now answer those questions, and hand me your sheets when you finish. You have... thirteen minutes!”

You glance up at the clock and sigh, scribbling down a few other answers before standing quietly and slipping your sheet onto the teacher’s desk. She looks up, surprised, before she plucks your sheet up and begins to read it.

Not wanting to see her reaction to your answers, you scurry back to your seat, sneakily sneaking a little note with what seemed like a bunch of random letters. To anyone creative and smart enough to see the bigger picture, it was a code with all the answers.

Morty gave you a sly smirk, unfolding that note under the desk with one hand while he pretended to scratch something onto the page.

The rest of the lesson consisted of a few students handing in their sheets, the teacher making surprised or disapproving sounds, and you laughing at how obviously Morty was cheating.

But that was before a green portal opened and a certain blue-haired scientist stepped out, taking a drink from his flask.

“Hey, Morty, Ne-eeURGH-Neko, w-we gotta go. The Cita- the Citadel’s got this new-new uh powder that’s gonna help grandpa with his science, Morty!”

Rick stumbled forwards, grabbing onto you and Morty’s arms. This drew a sigh of exasperation from Morty, and a noncommittal shrug from you.

“Aw geez, R-Rick. W-w-w-what are we doi-doing this time? Blowing the Citadel up? They-they weren’t too happy last ti-time.”

Rick just rolled his eyes, taking another sip from his flask.

“ _No,_ y-y-you idiot! I jus-just said, we’re gonna- URP!- gonna get this powder! I never could ge-get it, ‘cause the planet it’s f-from died, but th-there- UORGH!- there’s a new synthetic, Morty! I-I-I’m gonna look at it, and I’m gonna make a new synthe-synthetic, Neko! Morty! Now pu-put this shit on and let’s go!”

Rick, regardless of the staring eyes of the classroom, dropped a duffel bag at your feet, filled to the brim with a disturbing assortment of weapons. You frowned at him, picking it up carefully.

“Careful with this stuff, Rick. Most of it uses nuclear, and it’ll blow if you jostle it around too much.”

This drew a horrified gasp from the classroom. You owlishly blink, pulling out one of your favourite guns. It had a strangely shaped barrel, and was a dark purple, decorated with bright pink suspenders connecting the barrel to what seemed like a mag. Your very own atomic gun.

With a low chuckle, you load the gun slowly, barely holding back your amusement as the class sucked in a sharp breath at every foreboding _’click!’_

You toss two futuristic-looking handguns at Morty, rummaging around for the belt of ammo for them. “Here, catch.” Morty just snatched the belt from the air and fastened it over his chest, crouching by the bag to grab an UZI and stuffing the handguns in his pockets. 

Rick just checked on his portal gun charge. “Al-l-alright you two. We gotta- I made this thing, it ch-ch-changes our brain waves _very_ disti-distinctly- they-they’ll think we’re from J-137 instead of C-137! We just-just gotta make sure J-137 are-aren’t there...”

He pulled out a mask from his coat pocket, tossing it to you. You turn it around in your hands, humming. 

It looked just like your assassination mask, except the eyepiece zoomed in and out automatically.

“Where’d you get this? It’s not mine.”

Rick glanced at you before bending down and swiping a small handful of marble bombs, tucking all but one in his coat. “J-137’s real similar to-to our timeline, except their N-Neko always-always wears a mas-mask. Dunno why, just sh-sh-showed up li-like that. We’ll figure it o-out later. Now come on, we’ve gotta- let’s get going.”

Without so much as a look back at the bewildered students, the three of of you walked into another portal, the empty duffel bag the only evidence left that Rick, Morty and Y/n were ever here.

The teacher stared in shock, her glasses slipping off her nose as she gaped where the green portal shrank. The students just all breathed a sigh of relief that none of the weapons had gone off, and that the roof was still intact.

The teacher gazed around the classroom, her students already continuing their activities like nothing had happened.

“H-how often does that happen?!”

They all looked up at her, feeling sorry. Jessica spoke up, a sigh in her tone. “It happens almost every second day, Miss Gysmor.”

* * *

The three of you stepped out of the green portal into a big auditorium, filled with many different, Rick’s, Morty’s and not many Neko’s. You saw few different Neko’s but... you felt... _something_. Something weird, like-

“Neko! Come on, hurry up!”

You glance whip your head towards Rick and Morty, who were gesturing you towards a large store called the Parfec-17 Super Mall. Or, Mall P17. You roll your eyes at Rick’s manic grin and Morty’s elated expression. “Are you kidding me? A _mall?_ We coulda just asked Trish or someone to take you to the earth one...”

It was Rick’s turn to roll his eyes. “Don’t be s-stupid, _Neko._ Th-the dumb earth mall doesn’t have-have this thing I’m search- this thing I’m looking for...”

“It just better not be drugs.”

“Or s-some kinda a-alcohol.”

“No! What? W-Why would I come to the citadel fo-for-for shit I can just grab from close- nearby planets? No, we’re here for a new synthe-synthetic I’ve been trying to develop. Ano-another asshole develop-developed it first, and we’re here to grab some- we’re here to get some.”

He turns a sharp right, and suddenly they are in a small store packed to the brim with other Rick’s and their Morties. There are no Neko’s and all the other Rick’s turn and stare, the Morties chattering quietly as they walked through the store. Rick pretended not to be bothered, but Neko and Morty definitely were.

“Hey Neko? Is it just me, or... are there no other Neko’s?”

“There- no there aren’t any others. Rick?”

“I dunno, and I don’t care. We’re just here for that synthetic, and that’s it.”

Rick barely finished the sentence when another Rick and Morty stopped him. These two looked tough, the Rick’s hair in a weird curled style and the Morty’s hair slicked back. Both were wearing leather jackets and chewing on toothpicks, the Rick tucking a hairbrush behind his ear.

“Hey- UURRP- hey there, Rick. How-how’s your Neko?”

Rick instinctively stepped infront of both you and Morty. “What’s it to you? Why don’t you ask your one?”

The other Morty spoke up. “Our Neko’s been captured by the Galactic Federation, and we can’t ask the citadel for help or they’ll kill ‘im. We’re asking Miami Rick and Neko for help.” Morty, your Morty, spoke up.

“Why would they take a Neko?”

The other Morty snaps to look at him, a scowl on his lips before he sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. You and Morty see his and his Rick’s eye bags and you cringe.

“They took him because they wanted information on one of his bounties. Unfortunately, neither Rick or I were there. They only went for Neko.”

Rick’s interest was piqued. “Which bounty?”

“General Formugulite.”

A loud mutter ran through the small shop, and many eyes turned to look at you. Including an infuriated C-137 Rick.

“ _Neko._ Did you, or did you not, assassinate one of the Galactic Federation’s most p-prestigious Generals?” When you didn’t answer, he growled. _Growled._

“Neko. Tell. Me. You. Didn’t.”

You sighed, rubbing at your bandaged arms. You slowly raise your eyes to look at Rick, muttering under your breath.

Rick, obviously knowing the answer already, groaned loudly, face palming. Morty hissed in worry, and your ears lowered impossibly, your one visible cheek reddening. 

“Dammit. Alright, we just _can’t_ go in federal a-areas anymore, since I’m as-assuming everyone’s Neko’s been caught here. There’s certainly a chance that our Neko’ll get caught. But right-right now, I’m not gonna worry about it. We need the damn synthe-synthetic.”

Rick grabs Morty’s wrist in instinct and marches towards the reception, but you get awkwardly crowded by the two others from before.

“Neko.”

You nod, trying hard to hold their intense gazes. “They’ve captured you before, right?” You tense at the question, your gaze finally breaking away. The Morty snarls, a hand grasping your arm. You tense, wanting to pull away, but his hand is gentle, his eyes the picture of sympathy. “Look, I know you’re strong. Our Neko still hasn’t told us about it, but we’ve had our suspicions. You- you gotta tell your Rick and Morty, okay? They can- we can help.”

His eyes are pleading, in pain. The Rick grunts, and you gape in surprise when his expression is scarily similar to his Morty’s.

You nod slowly, meeting both stares. They both make understanding noises before slipping out of the shop, and into Neko’s thoughts.

Your own Rick and Morty come back, both carrying a sack each of a strange powder that looks like dirt. Literal earth dirt.

You follow them out of the shop and back to the auditorium like area, sighing when Rick shoots a portal back home.

You look around one last time, taking in the sight.

A lot of Rick’s, less Morty’s, and even less Neko’s.

You sighed again once you step through the portal.

“What happened to all the Neko’s..?”

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re confused, I edited the tiniest bit of it.


End file.
